1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to pollution control devices and more particularly to an improved gas scrubber for removing particulates and chemcial contaminants from air and other gases.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Gas scrubbers are employed to remove pollutants and other undesirable matter from air or other gases. The pollutants to be removed comprise particulates which are essentially solid materials carried along in the air flow. Examples of this type of pollutants are dust from industrial grinding operations and fly ash from refuse burning. Additionally, the air or gas may contain chemical contaminants such as acid fumes or gases which are produced during chemical processes. Particulates and gaseous or liquid pollutants entrapped in the air are removed in prior art gas scrubbers by a wide variety of techniques. The particulates, for example, are often removed by inertial separation which results when an air stream moving at a relatively high velocity is suddenly changed in direction to expel the particulates by centrifugal force. Sprays of water or various liquid chemicals are injected into the air stream to remove chemical gases and liquid particles carried along in the stream. The sprays effectively "wash" the air and eliminate the undesirable chemicals by adsorbtion or chemical reaction with the liquid being sprayed. Finally, filters of various materials are employed for removal of various types of pollutants.
The presently known types of gas scrubbers generally are designed and built for specific applications and are constructed for a particular range of air flows. When the rate of air flow or the volume handled is changed for a particular scrubbed, the scrubber usually must be modified to handle the different air flow parameters with maximum cleaning or scrubbing efficiency. Consequently, any change in the process in which the gas scrubber is employed may result in costly and time-consuming modifications being made to the gas scrubber itself. Additionally, gas scrubbers using water or chemical sprays to wash the gas or air being treated are subject to periodic shut downs because the nozzles which spray the water or liquid chemicals become clogged with the pollutants trapped in the spray. Filters employed in known gas scrubbers are also subject to the requirement of frequent cleaning and other servicing to maintain a peak operating efficiency for the gas scrubber unit. Finally, it is desirable that all gas scrubbing equipment have low power and water requirements, be self-contained, mechanically-rugged and be of compact size and weight.